Ichi (2008)

Director:

Fumihiko Sori

Writers:

Kan Shimosawa (story) and
Taeko Asano (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 October 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

Ichi is a blind woman who roams about town with her shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese guitar), but she has exceptional sword skills with which she fights off yakuza and other villains. |

Plot Keywords:

Sword | Massacre | Morality | Ninja | Slashing

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Haruka Ayase	...	Ichi
Shidô Nakamura	...	Banki
Yôsuke Kubozuka	...	Toraji Shirakawa
Takao Osawa	...	Toma Fujihira
Gô Rijû	...	Kihachi
Mayumi Sada	...	Mitsu
Tetsuo Yamashita
Ayumu Saitô
Toru Tezuka
Kumiko Tsuchiya
Shirô Namiki	...	Kataoka
Tetta Sugimoto	...	Blind man
Megumi Yokoyama	...	Toma's mother
Eri Watanabe	...	Ohama
Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi
Akira Emoto	...	Chobei Shirakawa
Yûto Nakano
Shôichirô Masumoto
Ryôsuke Shima	...	Kotaro
Katsuya
Kôji Motegi
Yuuki Natsusaka
Kotarô Tomomitsu
Kôichi Taniguchi
Kenji Yoshioka
Issei Okihara	...	Ushitora
Yasuomi Sano
Mitsuki Koga	...	Jako
Ryûki Kitaoka
Tadashi Oiwa
Usagi Kôno	...	Blind Vaudevillian
Yukina Kashiwa	...	Young Ichi
Kazuma Chiba	...	Young Toma
Wakako Matsuzaka	...	Blind Vaudevillian
Reita Serizawa
Toshiki Masuda	...	Thug
Masaki Katô
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yûko Endô
Daishirô Hano
Horiken
Yoshihiro Ishizuka
Eiko Kotake	...	Blind Vaudevillian
Hiroki Matsukata
Masaaki Nagae
Riki Takeuchi
R. Bruce Elliott	...	Chobei Shirakawa (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Todd Haberkorn	...	Toraji (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Gwendolyn Lau	...	Blind Vaudevillian (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Andy Mullins	...	Villager (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Brina Palencia	...	Ichi (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Brandon Potter	...	Thug (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Christopher Sabat	...	Gambling Thug (voice: English version) (uncredited)
J. Michael Tatum	...	Banki (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Kent Williams	...	Banki's Follower (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Fumihiko Sori

Writing credits
Kan Shimosawa		story and characters and
Taeko Asano		screenplay

Produced by
Yoshitaka Hori	....	producer
Yoshio Irie	....	producer
Sumio Kiga	....	producer
Hiroyoshi Koiwai	....	producer
Toshiaki Nakazawa	....	producer
Yûji Shimamoto	....	producer
Yasushi Umemura	....	producer
Takeshi Yamaoka	....	producer
Kôji Yoshida	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Edwards
Lisa Gerrard

Cinematography by
Keiji Hashimoto		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mototaka Kusakabe

Art Direction by
Takashi Sasaki

Sound Department
Adrian Cook	....	sound re-recording mixer
Koji Kasamatsu	....	sound effects (as Kôji Kasamatsu)

Visual Effects by
Tadao Matsuno	....	visual effects supervisor

Production Companies

• Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The
• Dentsu
• Geneon Entertainment
• Kodansha
• Lawson Ticket
• Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)
• Oxybot
• Sedic International
• Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
• Warner Bros.

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (2008) (Japan) (all media)
• Cineplex Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (theatrical) (limited)
• FUNimation Entertainment (2009) (USA) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• Rapid Eye Movies (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Videorama (2008) (Greece) (all media)

Special Effects

• Oxybot (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Aoi Studio  post-production sound services
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Digital Circus  foley design studio
• Imagica  film processing
• Japan Cine Services  lighting equipment supplied by
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by
• Sanwa Cine Equipment  camera equipment supplied by
• Shonai Film Village Co.  film commission

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of bloody violence, and brief sexuality

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | UK:15 | Australia:MA (2009) | Germany:16 | USA:R (certificate #45593) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Singapore:M18 | France:-16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Shonai, Yamagata, Japan

Company:

Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The

Movie Connections:

Version of Zatoichi: The Last (2010)

Soundtrack:

Will

Decent Ichi

Swordplay movies can come with pretty high standards, and the kind of production that might have been forgiven with 50s and 60s epics have to be rethought as we approach modern treatments. Fact is, ICHI is a fairly traditional version of the Blind Swordsman, though Haruka Ayase has a one-two punch of strong acting and good lucks. Dressed in rags, glowering, and compelling, Ayase is entirely convincing. Takao Osawa has winning chemistry with co-star, playing the drifter who had accidentally blinder his mother years before.

The swordplay sequences are shot in mixed slow and regular motion, digital blood spurting everywhere. Despite the carnage, her blade is always clean, her fingernails perfectly manicured, and always looking breathtaking under the worst of situations. ICHI is not, however, about realism; it's an adventure-romance, and anyone looking for complete accuracy will be disappointed. The real problem comes with the villains - Riki Takeuchi, usually good with pulp roles, overdoes his role as baddie - a fault that's shared by other antagonists.

The most satisfying swordplay yarns have original writing along with thrilling fights, but ICHI only the second part of the formula. As a result, the story is agreeable albeit rather ordinary.